Dragon Spirit Gin is an amazing, enticing gin.  A chance conversation inspired the Stark Spirits creation of a recipe based on the Five Spice philosophy used extensively in Chinese cuisine. The result is a synergy of flavors sweet, bitter, pungent, sour and salty.  Tasting is believing! Of course, it contains juniper, and most of the other botanicals that are frequently used in gin. It’s the balance of proportions that creates unique Dragon Spirit Gin.

Sweet is the presenting flavor, followed by an earthiness and leading to warmth in the finish.  But then it changes! Heat becomes tingling, sour and salty make their presence known on the sides of the tongue, sweetness reasserts itself, tempered by a touch of bitterness, and then all the discrete taste vanishes.  A harmony of flavors is what lingers.

Dragon Spirit is intense and does very well all on its own, neat or straight.  Orange liqueur or Drambuie are great complements, and a Dragon Spirit Martini with dry vermouth and a twist of orange is a new take on an old standard.  The intertwined flavor elements of Dragon Spirit present myriad opportunities to choose to emphasize any one of them. This is a gin that challenges a mixologist’s creativity and rewards amply.

Delicious, unique Dragon Spirit  is named for dragons associated with the Five Elements of Chinese philosophy.  Each element has its own taste. Earth: sweet; fire: pungent; wood: sour; metal: bitter; and water: salty. The traditional balance of tastes representing the Five Elements, also happen to present the traditional tastes of several western winter holidays.  Dragon Spirit Gin brings old and new, traditional and innovative, East and West into balance and harmony, a benevolent gift for our time.

In Chinese philosophy, dragons are far different than western ideas of dragons.  A foundational belief is that all life has yin and yang aspects, so, of course, there are both female and male dragons. In Chinese lore dragons are superior beings, living between heaven and earth, with specific personality characteristics associated with either wood, earth, fire, metal or water, the Five Elements. Although essentially uninterested in human affairs, if they do take an interest, it is benevolent.  In fact, in depictions of Chinese dragons, what they are breathing out is not fire—it is clouds!

Tasting Notes:

Awards:

2019 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition – Gold Medal, 90 points

Cocktails:

Dragon Spirit Gin Martini

Batch Information:

Batch 1 : 6/8/2019

Inspired by the sunset view from Stark Spirits distillery, this is an intriguing gin neat or in a cocktail.  Skyline Gin is a smooth, refreshing spirit for the end of the day. Skyline Gin is a contemporary gin made with 10 fully traditional ingredients.  It is the outcome that breaks from tradition.  Spicy, citrusy, sweetly floral in the aroma, the mouth is smooth and silky with lovely warmth that glides all the way through the finish.  Saying that the flavor on the palate is indescribable sounds suspicious, but really, no two people seem to taste the same thing.  Juniper is the largest amount of botanical in the recipe, yet there is just a hint of it on the palate after the finish. Individual botanical flavors speak to individual palates.  Some find the coriander, others fennel or lemon or orange or ginger…or a number of botanicals that aren’t even in the recipe.  Still, those who taste Skyline agree on one thing—it’s wonderful. It delights people who thought they’d never like gin, while enchanting dedicated gin aficionados.   Skyline Gin is an amazing gin!

Tasting Notes:

Reviews:

Wine Enthusiast Magazine – 88 Points Best Buy

Awards:

2019 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition – Gold Medal 91 points

Batch Information:

Batch 7: 4/25/2019
Batch 6: 4/25/2019
Batch 5: 4/25/2019
Batch 4: 4/25/2019
Batch 3: 4/25/2019
Batch 2: 4/25/2019
Batch 1: 4/25/2019